1. Field
Provided is an antibody specifically binding to an angiogenesis-inducing factor Ang2 to inhibit the function thereof. In particular, provided are an Ang2 specific antibody, a method of inhibiting angiogenesis or a method of treating a disease related to the activation and/or overproduction of Ang2 using the antibody, and a composition for diagnosing a disease related to the activation and/or overproduction of Ang2 including the antibody.
2. Description of the Related Art
Angiogenesis refers to a mechanism through which a new blood vessel is formed from a pre-existing blood vessel, and has been known to play an important role in the formation of an organ, normal physiological growth, wound healing and so on. Also, abnormal angiogenesis has been known to play a crucial role in diseases such as tumor growth and metastasis, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic inflammation
Angiogenesis has been known to play an important role in tumor growth and metastasis, and various intensive researches on angiogenesis mechanism for developing a new cancer drug have been going on by developed countries and multinational pharmaceutical companies. One of the proteins that has been the target of research is Angiopoietin which has been known to be involved in blood vessel development and angiogenesis after birth, and known are Ang-1, 2, 3 and 4.
Angiogenesis related to Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) in a cancer tissue is believed to occur as follows. First, for angiogenesis in the cancer tissue, cooption wherein cancer cells select pre-existing blood vessels to form new blood vessels in a cancer tissue occurs. Thereafter, blood vessel regression during which the functions of the pre-existing blood vessels are destroyed by Ang2 pathway occurs. The regression of the pre-existing vessels causes hypoxic environment within the cancer tissue, which is an environment where the formation of new blood vessels is possible. Under such conditions, the expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) is increased, and new blood vessels are thus formed. For such a reason, Ang2 is an important target in the development of angiogenesis inhibitors, and various kinds of angiogenesis inhibitors are currently being developed and actively undergoing preclinical or clinical trials.
Under such a circumstance that Ang2 is of increasing importance as a target for developing an angiogenesis inhibitor, there is a need of developing an effective and strong Ang2 target substance.